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HAMMOND, La. – The Alcorn State University women's basketball program opens its 2017-18 campaign Friday as the Lady Braves travel to Southeastern Louisiana for a meeting with the Lady Lions in the University Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Lady Braves are returning last season's Southwestern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year in senior guard Alexus Freeman. The Navasota, Texas native was named the conference's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year as well as to the All-SWAC Second Team after averaging just under 11 points with 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She finished second in the the league in steals per game (2.4) and helped anchor an Alcorn defense that was second in the league in steals (10.2 spg).
Also returning is last season's leading scorer in senior guard Tia Sanders, who averaged 11.3 points, 2.8 boards, and 2.0 assists per contest. Senior forward Miracle Rushing (5.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 spg) is also expected to make an impact.
"Right now we're trying to find a consistent new person outside of what we have returning," said head coach Courtney G. Pruitt. "We saw some bright spots from Cloe Lane last Friday night. We think that our freshman Jamaysha Bernard will do a good job for us. Once we get Ugochinyere Nwarie healthy, we'll look good in the post position. So right now, we have big expectations for Cloe and Jamaysha and everyone else will follow as they get comfortable with our team dynamics and start to gel together."
The Lady Lions hosted LSU Alexandra in an an exhibition last Friday, with SLU earning a 96-78 victory. Freshman forward Caitlyn Williams recorded a 20-point, 23-rebound double-double and senior guard Taylin Underwood followed with 20 points. Underwood received Preseason All-Southland Conference First Team honors after finishing last season ranked in the top five in the league with 18.6 points per game (fourth) and 73 three-point field goals (fifth).
"Southeastern is returning their Freshman Player of the Year in Charliee Dugas and they're returning their leading scorer in Underwood," added Pruitt. "So just to get our girls going and get them to see that they're capable of winning ball games and coming together is very important. We want to get that mental aspect out of the way so that everything else will take care of itself going down the road."
On trying to replace the defensive void left by last year's SWAC Defensive Player of the Year in Henrietta Wells, Pruitt stated, "Right now it's kind of up in the air. When we're scrimmaging each other or practicing against each other, it's hard to tell. So what we're waiting to see is when we line up against competition and put our best up against the other teams' best, we'll be able to see who's going to step up and take a leading role in the defensive department."
PRESEASON NOTES
-Â The Lady Braves are coming off a 2016-17 season that saw the team reach the SWAC Championship quarterfinals. Alcorn nearly overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit, but could not catch the Lady Jaguars as the squad was downed 73-67 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center in the first round of the tournament.
-Â Alcorn finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 9-21 overall record and a 9-9 mark in league play, good for a fifth-place finish in conference standings. The team improved two spots in the league standings, having finished seventh the year before.
-Â Alcorn finished last year ranked second in the SWAC in offensive rebounding (15.1 orpg) and turnover margin (+1.80). The team was third in three-point field goals per game (4.4), steals (9.8 spg), and blocked shots (3.6 bpg). The Lady Braves were fourth in assist/turnover ratio (0.6) and fifth in offensive rebounding percentage (.345).
-Â In SWAC individual rankings last season, Wells led the league in blocks (2.9 bpg). Ranking second were Freeman in steals (2.4 spg), Brianna Luton in three-point field goal percentage (.365), and Sanders in three-point field goals made (1.9 pg). Ranking third were Freeman in assists (3.3 apg), Luton in three-point field goals made (1.7 pg), and Rushing in offensive rebounding (3.1 orpg).
- The Lady Braves were selected to finish fifth in this year's SWAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Alcorn's non-conference schedule includes stops at Central Arkansas, Tougaloo, UL-Lafayette, and Louisiana Tech. The squad will also face Southern Mississippi and Stephen F. Austin at the Southern Miss Classic on Nov. 24-25 and will play Oral Roberts and Wichita State on Dec. 15-16 in the Shocker Winter Classic.
- The Lady Braves are in search of their seventh SWAC Tournament Title and fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Braves have claimed the SWAC regular season title 11 times, the last coming in the 2004-05 season when the team posted a 21-9 record overall and a 14-4 mark in conference play. That squad defeated Southern in the SWAC Championship 56-47 to earn an NCAA Tournament opening-round game against Michigan State. The Lady Braves fell to the Spartans 41-73 in that last post-season appearance.
- Alcorn was 0-2 against Southland opponents last season, dropping a pair of game to Central Arkansas. The Lady Braves fell to the Sugar Bears 75-51 at home on Nov. 17 and were defeated 59-45 in Conway, Ark. on Nov. 29.
- The Lady Braves are looking for their first non-conference win over a Division I school since Dec. 8, 2014 when the team earned a 62-53 decision against UL Monroe.
- Pruitt enters her third year at the helm of the Lady Braves program. She owns a 20-40 overall record with a 17-19 mark in SWAC play through her first two seasons.
- The team will host Lemoyne-Owen College in a 5:30 p.m. game at the Davey L. Whiteny Complex on Nov. 15 for Alcorn's home opener.
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